Sand Dancing in the Wind
by Ruingaraf
Summary: A quiet night in the Nihal Desert shows Savyna that there is at least one person concerned for her well being. Oneshot, GxS fluff.


"Sand Dancing in the Wind"

Author: Ruingaraf  
Fandom: Baten Kaitos  
Rating: K+  
Pairing: GxS  
Words: 746

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A frigid breeze floated through the desert, whittling at the slowly-dying flame in the center of a small group. Four seemed to be asleep. A blue-haired teen slept doggedly facedown despite the sand in his face, but still seemed weighed down with something stressful. Murmuring something, he shifted and bumped shoulders with a blond girl, who groaned softly and rolled over to give him room, still not waking. A slender redhead curled into a ball under a woolen cloak, while a small masked figure appeared to be sleeping like the dead, sprawled everywhere and even twitching a little.

Savyna watched them with a slight smile, then shifted her gaze back towards the fading embers. She began to stir them idly with a dead branch, attempting in vain to prolong the inevitable. Though normally the last one to retire each night and the second to move in the morning, the huntress had been awake for a good while longer than usual. Perhaps it was because she had felt the need to speak about her past earlier. The strange mood still hovered over her, both thrilling her and making her uneasy at the same time.

"You should go to sleep, don'cha think?" The sudden voice startled her out of her musings. She turned to look at the friendly bronze face, cast orange in the firelight. Hair as wild and tan as hay flopped in the man's face, held back solely by an odd-looking headband, and he swept at it in frustration. "I'm on night watch, not you. Aren't ya tired?"

"Mmm." She shrugged a little, still stirring the ashes.

The sides of his normally cheerful grin turned down a bit. Though he obviously had to stop himself from frowning in worry, hazel eyes bore obvious concern.

"At least try to sleep." Several more seconds passed before he began to root through his pack, then produced a large, warm blanket and tossed it to her.

Catching the fabric, Savyna wore a completely confused expression. "I _have_ a blanket. Why are you giving me yours?"

The answer was simple and blunt, the kind she usually gave to others. "'Cause it's cold in the desert, and I don't want it because I'll fall asleep."

Violet eyes still blinked slowly in bewilderment, then in comprehension. "…Ah." She wrapped her own blanket around her shoulders first, then the larger tan one. With a slight start she realized that it carried the skyfarer's scent, then rebuked herself for it. Of course it smelled like him, it _was_ his, after all.

She could not, however, understand why the particular scent calmed her. It was just… nice. Sandalwood? Clouds? The pure, simple scent of sky air? None seemed to fit, and she again pushed the thought from her mind as she closed her eyes.

Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. And the Lady Death was still no closer to sleep than she had been an hour ago. She shifted and cracked her neck, opening her eyes once again.

"Something wrong?" The kind, concerned tone never ceased to surprise her. Perhaps she wasn't used to being addressed by someone with a heart as big as his.

After all, he had such remarkable wings.

"Savyna?" He looked more worried now, obviously hoping that she wasn't drowning herself in regret for Azha.

"Yes?"

"Reason you can't sleep?" The ex-knight looked like he really wanted to help, though she knew that her situation wasn't anything he could fix.

"I just… normally sleep sitting up."

Gibari nodded, having already known about this particular idiosyncrasy. After a moment, comprehension dawned across his features. "But there's nothing to rest your back on. Of course you can't sleep."

"Don't worry about it." Her tone dismissed the conversation, but the fisherman locked his eyes with hers.

"You can lean against me, if you want."

Normally, Savyna would have thought it weird leaning against another person. Normally, she would have given him an odd look and refused. Normally, there was always a tree or a rock to lean on. Normally, she would have been asleep by now.

But she wasn't. And she was so damn tired, and the blanket enveloped her in such a cursingly soothing scent, and she found that at the moment, she didn't really mind at all.

So she moved so that she was leaning against his back, feeling the warmth of his body even through the fabric.

Gibari couldn't suppress a slight smile as he heard her slow, soft breathing a moment later.


End file.
